The Fourth of July

July 4^th brings young and old out to view parades, visit with old friends and take part in various activities. Let’s look back at a few of those occasions.

            In 1924, the July 4^th parade featured the town band, dignitaries and members of Company I, Maine National Guard (the local company). There were automobiles decorated with hand-made crepe paper flowers and colorful floats. The winning float from the Opera House had music provided by a pianist, violinist, cornet player and drummer. The float was covered with purple and white paper flowers. The parade ended at the old Armory where baseball games took place between Co. I and Brownville Jct. There was a midway and the popular merry-go-round. The Opera House and Dream Theater ran popular movies (silent) throughout the afternoon and evening.  Fireworks and a dance at the Armory ended the day.

            In 1951, Millinocket’s 50^th birthday was celebrated with a huge parade and a very large crowd in attendance. Professional photos were taken by local photographer Ralph Crowell. Many local men, women and children were in period costume and there were a large number of floats created by local businesses and organizations plus horse-drawn carriages, antique autos and more.

            In 2015, Merrill “Bud” Segee, one of the museum’s founders, stopped in for a visit. He was pleased to see what had been accomplished and told several stories about the “old” museum in the Municipal Building and what it took to get it started. He told how they worked to find a few items to place on display for the “Grand Opening” July 4^th week, 1979.

            Also on July 4^th, 2015, Ron Fraser (age 94 at that time) won the award for most visits in one week (three days of the four we were open). An hour on July 3 was spent with him talking about Company I, National Guard unit from Millinocket, and its role in WWI. Mr. Fraser (on that day, was the only surviving member of the 110 members of that group). His memory was great and he was able to name many of the men in the Company I photo (1941) on display at the museum.

This year, 2025, the Millinocket Historical Society had a float for the first time. It featured an array of mannequins clad in uniforms (mostly jackets & caps) from the museum’s collection. Represented were Pink Panthers, Northern Knights/Katahdin Rangers, Millinocket band, Emerson Pills, VFW, American Legion, Military and more. Flags and patriotic symbols adorned the pickup truck (driven by MHS president Barbara Beaulieu). There were signs, photos and a large MHS banner. The theme was “History” and we won 1^st Place!!